Rose started his career doing sports updates on New York City based SportsPhone, a telephone dial-in service, during the mid-1970s, which led to sports updates on news radio station WCBS-AM through the early 1980s.

Rose's end-of-game catchphrase is, "Put it in the books", used after the final out is recorded in a Mets win. After Mets losses, Rose says "and the ballgame is over". When he uses the phrasing "and the Mets are leading by a score of _ to _", he is using the same diction as original Mets broadcaster Lindsey Nelson.[citation needed]